With an army of fans known as 'Hiddlestoners', it's difficult to browse any website without the Brit actor's name popping up. Handily, Digital Spy has ten facts about the star that you may not know.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

1. Born in Westminster, London in 1981 to former stage manager Diana Patricia and James Norman, a manager of a pharmaceutical company, Hiddleston is of both Scottish and English descent. He grew up with his two sisters in Wimbledon and later moved to Oxford.

2. Prior to hitting the big time in Kenneth Branagh's Wallander, he'd made a few blink and you'll miss it TV appearances. His on-screen debut was playing a Lord in the TV movie The Life of Nicholas Nickleby, based on the novel by Charles Dickens. He also made an appearance as an ill-fated rock climber in an episode of Casualty in 2007, which you can watch below:

3. He has two sisters, including Emma - who is also an actor and has made appearances in episodes of Holby City and appeared alongside her brother in Unrelated. However, he insists that there is no rivalry between the pair, explaining: "Unlike Loki and Thor, I've never tried to kill them." Good to know!

4. He is terrified of sharks, telling Metro: "I love swimming in the sea and don't think about sharks until I'm the furthest person out from the shoreline, then the John Williams Jaws theme starts in my head." Let's take him out of the running for any sharky remakes then!

5. Before Chris Hemsworth wielded the infamous hammer, Mr Hiddleston screen-tested for the role of Thor, he even went on a strict diet and gained 20 lbs of muscle. However, director Kenneth Branagh decided he was more suitable for the role of Loki.

6. He has gained quite a reputation for his spot-on impressions of A-listers including Samuel L. Jackson, Alan Rickman and Avengers co star Chris Evans. You can watch his latest impression of actor Owen Wilson below:

7. His favourite superhero is Superman (sorry Thor!) and he cites Christopher Reeve's Superman films as his first experience of the superhero genre. The actor once said: "Reeve, to my mind, was the first real superhero."

8. Although they play on-screen enemies, off screen Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth are close friends. At a recent press conference Tom even went so far as to say "I love you, man" to his on-screen brother. Bold move! Not to be outdone, Hemsworth gushed about to Tom to 4music saying: "My hat goes off to Tom and I think he's done such an incredible job in every film and hopefully we can sneak him in more."

9. A man of many talents, Tom speaks several languages including French, Greek and Italian, which he often shows off during international interviews. Watch Mr Hiddleston show off his linguistic skills below:

10. His speciality seems to be Shakespeare, having recently starred as Prince Hal in the BBC's Hollow Crown series. Prior to this, he starred in a number of Shakespeare plays such as Othello and Coriolanus. He won the Ian Charleston Award Third Prize for his role in the former. He has also won an Olivier Award for his role in Cymbeline.